Christmas Flirts
by Raye A. Williams
Summary: Luke and Lorelai flirting...
1. Flirting over Coffee

"Hey," Lorelai said excitedly, sitting at the counter at Luke's. "Two coffees!"  
Luke looked at Lorelai suspiciously. "Why two coffees?"  
"I was at the inn late last night. I had to decorate until 10:00 for the Christmas Stars Hollow Dinner Reunion of the Apes we're having, and I had to write out invitations."  
"Do I get an invitation?" Luke said, placing two cups of coffee onto the counter.  
"Oh yes," Lorelai said sarcastically, sipping her coffee. "You get a golden engraved invitation, made specially for you, and you only, because you're so special, because you're the special coffee guy, and-"  
"So that's a yes?"  
"And I'll even have Santa Clause and his reindeer deliver the golden engraved invitation specially made for you, because you're the special coffee guy, and he'll even give you a sleigh ride down to the inn, oh yes, and he'll let you pet Rudolph, and then-"  
"Coffee's getting cold!"  
"Oh no! It's all your fault!" Lorelai shouted, half kidding and half serious, quickly drinking the coffee.  
Luke cracked a smile.  
"Wow," Lorelai said teasingly. "The special coffee guy smiled."  
"I did not."  
"Did too."  
"Did not."  
"Did too!"  
"Are we in preschool again?" Luke arched an eyebrow.  
"I don't know, but it sure feels like it!" Lorelai giggled.  
"You giggled."  
"I did? No I didn't."  
"Yes you did!"  
"No I- okay, this is getting too insane for me!" Lorelai said standing up, holding both of her coffees. "I should be at the inn."  
"I should be taking that persons order that just walked in."  
"Bye, Luke. I'll get started on the gold invitation!"  
"Bye, Lorelai."  
As Lorelai walked out the door, Luke smiled. Genuinely. 


	2. Confusion

"Hey, Dean."  
"Hey, Rory." Rory gave Dean a quick peck on the lips.  
"I have you a Christmas present," Rory grinned.  
"I have a Christmas present for you, too."  
"Oh really? Well, open mine...I put a lot of thought into it."  
Rory handed Dean a neatly wrapped, rectangle shaped gift, and Dean carefully tore apart the wrapping paper.  
"A...book." Dean said, inspecting it. "'The Locket' by Richard Paul Evans."  
"Very good book," Rory said excitedly, slipping her arm around Dean's waist. "I think you'll love it."  
"I'm sure I will." Dean smiled.  
Dean took a small, nicely wrapped box out from behind the counter at the register at Doose Market and gently placed it in Rory's hands.  
Rory quickly opened it, as Dean moved closer to her, wrapping his arm around her.  
"It's beautiful!" Rory said excitedly, looking at a silver ring with a blue stone in it.  
Dean kissed Rory on the cheek.  
"It's a promise ring."  
"A promise ring?" Rory gasped in awe.  
"Yeah...a promise that we'll stay together forever."  
"Dean..." Rory started cautiously.  
"You don't like it? Is it the color? Do you want me to exchange it for a different one?" Dean asked, clearly confused.  
"No, no, I love it! It's beautiful. But you just didn't have to, that's all..."  
"Yes, I did. I love you, Rory. You deserve this and so much more."  
"I love you, too, Dean..." Rory kissed Dean.  
'At least I have no problem telling him I love him,' Rory thought. 


	3. Falling Apart

It was 9:30 on a Saturday night, three days before Christmas, when Jess was walking around Stars Hollow.  
He spotted Rory nearby, sitting on a bench reading a book, and slowly walked over to her, sitting down next to her on the bench.  
"Hey, Rory." Jess said, showing half a smile.  
"Oh, hi, Jess." Rory said, quickly glancing over to him. "What's that?" she pointed to a red bag he was holding.  
"For you," Jess said, sitting the bag in Rory's lap.  
Rory slowly reached into the bag, pulling out a book.  
"'Empire Falls' by Richard Russo!" Rory exclaimed, looking at Jess. "How'd you know I wanted this...?"  
Jess smiled, standing up. "I overheard you and Lorelai talking this morning at Luke's. Merry Christmas." Jess began to slowly walk away.  
"No, wait," Rory said, looking upset. Jess stopped and turned around, as Rory walked up next to him, tightly holding the book in her arms.  
"I feel horrible, I didn't get you anything, and I didn't expect you to get me anything, but I should have gotten you something," Rory said quickly in one breath.  
"Well, there's one thing that could make up for that." Jess said slyly.  
Rory looked at Jess, clearly wondering what.  
Jess quickly leaned in to give Rory a passionate kiss on the lips.  
After the kiss, Rory realized that she had kissed Jess back. Slowly backing away, she saw someone staring at her from across the street. Dean. 


	4. Almost Golden Invitation

Early Sunday morning, Luke picked up some groceries from Doose Market in Stars Hollow.  
When he arrived back at Luke's, the diner that he so owned and treasured, he noticed an envelope taped on the door.  
Sitting his groceries down on a bench, he gently pulled the envelope off the door.  
"The Special Coffee Guy" was written across the front. He quickly tore it open.  
Inside was a bright yellow card with an even brighter yellow star on the front.  
He slowly opened the card, and inside was a neatly written invitation to the Stars Hollow Dinner Party at the Independence Inn.  
'It was purely impossible to find an invitation actually made out of gold, so this was the closest I could find. Lorelai.'  
Luke smiled and clutched the card closely to his heart. 


	5. 'I need to think'

Sunday afternoon, Rory sat on her bed, silently crying, tears streaming down her face, staring at the ring Dean had given her just a few days ago.  
Furious, she took it off and tried to throw it down on her night stand. It missed and fell on the floor. The tears streamed even more.  
"Hey," Lorelai said knocking on the door, and then walking in.  
Lorelai looked at Rory, confused. "What's up? Why the waterworks?" Lorelai plopped down on Rory's bed.  
"Me and Dean are over."  
"Really? Why?" Lorelai sounded concerned.  
"He gave me a promise ring!"  
"Oh, yes...I broke up with my first boyfriend because he gave me a promise ring, too. Rory, what's that have to do with it?"  
"Jess kissed me."  
"Really, he did? What about the ring now?"  
"Dean gave me a promise ring and I was scared and Jess kissed me."  
Lorelai sighed. "Spill it, Rory."  
"I kissed Jess back. And Dean saw."  
"Rory, sweetie, I'm so sorry." Lorelai hugged Rory tightly.  
"Dean hates me." Rory mumbled.  
"Honey, Dean loves you, and you know that. Don't you love him?" Lorelai arched an eyebrow.  
Rory hesitated for a moment. "I don't know...at first, it was so great, and I loved him and spending time with him. But now...it feels like everything I felt before is slowly but surely fading." Rory sighed. "What do I do?"  
"I can't tell you what to do," Lorelai said, running her hand through Rory's hair. "I know it's a cliche, but follow your heart."  
Lorelai stood up and walked over to the door.  
"My heart is broken," Rory said sadly.  
"It will mend. Give it time."  
"What about Jess?" Rory asked suddenly.  
Lorelai stared at her only daughter for a minute. "Do you like Jess?"  
"Maybe?"  
"Does he know this?"  
"Maybe?"  
"Well, he obviously likes you, at least enough to try and play tonsil hockey with you..." Lorelai hesitated. "I don't know what to say, Rory."  
"That makes two of us." Rory groaned.  
"Want to go to the Stars Hollow Dinner Party tonight at the inn?" Lorelai hoped to cheer Rory up.  
Rory shook her head no.  
"I need to think," Rory said.  
She really did need to think... 


End file.
